Prepare for more lens flare, video game fans: J.J. Abrams still plans on tackling film adaptations for Half Life and Portal.
Abrams spoke about the two projects, as part of his partnership with game developer Valve, in an interview with IGN. Although he didn't really reveal many details, he did confirm that both projects were still in development.
"Not yet, but they're in development," said Abrams to IGN. "And we've got writers, and we're working on both those stories. But nothing that would be an exciting update."
Back in 2013, Abrams and Valve co-founder Gabe Newell hinted at a partnership that would bring both Half Life and Portal to the big screen during a talk about how storytelling differs in movies and video games. At the time, Abrams hinted that he had an idea for a video game with Valve, but also stated that he had interest in bringing Half Life and Portal to film.
This is the first time in several years that the adaptations have received a mention, although it's likely that Abrams won't serve as director on either film, leaving that job to someone else and acting only as the projects' producer.
Abrams spoke with IGN about his new film, 10 Cloverfield Lane, a thriller about a woman who wakes up from a car accident only to find herself in the basement of a man who tells her he saved her life from a deadly chemical attack that destroyed most of the outside world. That film opened on March 11.
The director for 10 Cloverfield Lane, Dan Trachtenberg, is responsible for one of the more popular Portal fan films, Portal: No Escape, which has over 17 million views on YouTube. That makes him a good candidate for a Portal movie, but as of yet, Abrams has not attached a director to the project.
Meanwhile, video game fans would probably prefer a Half Life 3 over a film adaptation of the first Half Life, but Valve continues to avoid the topic while rumors run rampant about it, including that it will become a virtual reality game. Valve already created a Portal demo for VR, so it's not an alien concept.
